Mason in turn confesses to having nearly thrown the Letter away, having noted its origin in County Durham, and assumed it to be but more of the free provincial advice that it was one of his Tasks to read thro' in the Astronomer Royal's behalf, and respond to.
* * * * * * * * * *
Line 83 Vulgarized:
Mason points out part of his job was to respond to his boss's mail but he often threw away letters from provincial places like Durham County rather than respond to their hick requests or folksy rural suggestions.
Subtext:
The subtext is either that Mason is an urban elite who looks down on rural folk or that Pynchon constantly thinks about drinking while writing his novels and throws away any fan letters that find their way to his house, especially if they're from people from small towns offering him writing advice. I wonder if people send him suggestions for things to write? If I simply address an envelope to "Thomas Pynchon, the Novelist," do you think it would find its way to him? I'd really like him to write a novel about Britain in the mid-to-late 90s with the Spice Girls as the protagonists.
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